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Hawaii Immigrant Justice Center at the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii
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The Hawaii Immigrant Justice Center (HIJC) at the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii provides free legal services to eligible indigent immigrants living in the State of Hawaii. We also conduct community outreach and education, host free legal clinics, and provide training on a variety of immigration and related civil rights issues. We provide legal assistance to:
- Immigrant victims of domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assault, and victims of other violent crimes by obtaining VAWA Self Petitions, Battered Spouse Waivers, T and U nonimmigrant visas, and other immigration relief.
- Immigration assistance to citizens of the Freely Associated States.
- Reunite families, including reuniting families separated by human trafficking and abuse.
- Immigrant victims of crime in removal proceedings.
- Legal permanent residents who want to naturalize to become US citizens.
- Immigrants seeking to renew or replace documents, e.g., green card or naturalization certificate.
- Immigrants with limited English proficiency by advocating for equal access to government and government-funded services.
In addition to practicing immigration law, HIJC is part of the larger law firm of Legal Aid that advocates for the rights of immigrants, including those discriminated against because of their national origin, race, or other protected class. For example, Legal Aid has advocated for immigrants denied critical public benefits, like subsidized housing, financial assistance, food stamps for US citizen children or eligible aliens (battered spouses), and QUEST. HIJC has brought Title IX (sex discrimination in federally funded educational institutions) and language access challenges on behalf of our clients. We have worked with federal and state agencies to win monetary awards against traffickers for our clients who are victims of human trafficking. We provide holistic legal services to address the multifaceted needs of our clients.
State served: | Hawaii |
Services Provided
Are immigration legal services provided? | Yes |
Areas of immigration legal assistance: | Adjustment of Status, Employment authorization, Naturalization/Citizenship, Removal hearings, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, T visas, U visas, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) petitions |
Types of immigration legal services provided: | Help completing forms, Filings with USCIS, Representation before the Immigration Court |
Other areas of legal assistance: | Civil Rights, Debt/Credit/Bankruptcy, Disability, Elder Law, Employment, Family & Juvenile, Foreclosure, Homeless, Public Benefits |
Non-legal services: | Administrative advocacy (CIS/ICE/CBP), Legal Orientation Programs (LOP) / Know Your Rights Presentations (KYR), Referrals to other services |
Populations served: | Domestic Violence Victims, Farm workers, Human Trafficking Survivors, Individuals with physical/mental disabilities, Juveniles, Lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender |
Languages spoken: | Chinese, English, Japanese, Marshallese, Spanish, Vietnamese, We provide free interpretation in all languages to clients |
Access to a commercial interpreting service or language bank: | Yes |
Nominal fee charged? | No |
Other information: | Services are subject to LSC funding restrictions. This office can help victims of certain crimes. |
Staffing Information
Number of attorneys on staff: | 4 |
Is organization BIA recognized? | No |
Number of fully accredited BIA representatives on staff: | 0 |
Number of partially accredited BIA representatives on staff: | 0 |
Number of paralegals/legal workers on staff: | 3 |
Additional Details
Pro Bono opportunities? | Yes |
Network affiliations: | American Immigration Lawyers Association |
Volunteering
Volunteer Coordinator | |
Other Information | http://www.legalaidhawaii.org/volunteer.html |